SANTA BARBARA WITH A BABY AND A TODDLER

by Alex Millsupdated on October 1, 2024October 6, 2023Leave a Comment

SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA – TRAVEL GUIDE

Are you heading to Santa Barbara with a baby and a toddler? A California road trip was our first big vacation as a family of 4 and Santa Barbara was our first stop. We had 3 nights (2 full days) here but I would have liked one extra.

For reference, At the time of this trip, Freddie was 3.5 and Jaxon was 4 months.

Unfortunately, we didn’t get the beautiful sunshine that was forecast. It was pretty cold and windy. My older one also wasn’t feeling 100%. Despite this, we still managed to have a great time and make some beautiful family memories!

Santa Barbara isn’t huge, with the exception of one beach, we walked everywhere. I bought the Joolz Aer+ travel stroller for this trip. If you travel a lot, I would recommend it!

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links however all opinions are my own and the products are things I have purchased with my own money.

THINGS TO DO IN SANTA BARBARA WITH A BABY AND A TODDLER

HEAD TO THE BEACH

My 3-year-old was so excited to get to the beach. As I mentioned, we really didn’t get beach weather but we kept trying!

West Beach & East Beach – these two merge together on either side of Sterns Wharf.
Leadbetter Beach – this was in my opinion, a nicer beach than West or East Beach. However, it was also a huge wind tunnel. We didn’t last long there because the boys (and I) were just too cold!
Arroyo Burro Beach – This is the beach we drove to, but it was also our favourite. It has some sand and many rocks that are great for toddlers to explore.

I got this beach tent for my baby to shade him from the sun. It actually ended up being more of a windbreaker in Santa Barbara but later in the trip, it did the job well!

PLAYGROUNDS & PARKS

My kids are up early. As it was cold in the mornings we headed straight to a playground. There were two really great ones:

KIDS WORLD PLAYGROUND

This playground was really fun. Big wooden structures, swings and slides, perfect for toddlers (and older kids) to enjoy. Just across the road, there’s Alice Keck Park Memorial Garden. A small but pretty garden with a pond. We enjoyed looking at the terrapins swimming.

SHIPWRECK PLAYGROUND

Located opposite East Beach. A large play boat that’s great for climbing on or pretending to be pirates! There’s also a lot of sand.

WALK DOWN STATE STREET

Probably the main Street in Santa Barbara. It is lined with shops and plenty of Instagramable cafes and restaurants.

There were a few ‘little libraries’ along the street where you could take a book and leave a book. Freddie really enjoyed looking at them all! It’s a long street so we also played games with him, like, ‘How many American flags can you count?’ to keep him entertained.

ENJOY FOOD AND DRINKS

There are plenty of options on State Street but here are a couple more options:

Santa Barbara Public Market – This is a really nice place to stop for food. It has tables both inside and outside and a variety of places to choose from. There is also a tractor inside that kids can play on. Is this a dream come true for all toddlers? Even better, if you post a photo, tagging them on Instagram, Dad can get a free beer from the bar. My husband was pretty pleased!
The Funk Zone – another location with lots of food places. Located towards the lower end of State Street, nearer the waterfront.

LOOK AT YACHTS AT THE HARBOUR

The harbour is just a short walk from Leadbetter Beach. As the beach was so windy, we spent a while looking at the boats and picking out our dream one!

Thank you so much for reading, I hope this post has helped you plan your trip to Santa Barbara!

Happy Travelling,